If you build it, will they come? Well, they came out in droves for the first show at McGrewBid Motoplex, with 107 wingless 600cc sprints and 19 junior sprints. The new 1/5-mile track is located off the second turn at BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, Pennsylvania.
“We felt it was time to try something different in adding a track for the 600cc racers on our property.” BAPS Motor Speedway owner Scott Gobrecht said. “We designed 1/5-mile track by applying a lot of things we learned and did on our big track. We started by using the same clay vein in West York that we used to make the surface on BAPS Motor Speedway.”
Gobrecht along with track GM Kolten Gouse didn’t cut corners when building the track from scratch.
“We got the best, newest Whelen LED lighting, and with the black fence the clear view is of the on-track action makes the fan experience so much better,” said Gobrecht. “We put in an all-new transponder system. The grandstands, which are repurposed, will hold 800 fans.”
McGrewBid, an auction house for agricultural and industrial equipment, sponsors the track. McGrewBid Motoplex also received the backing of 600 sprint builder Hyper Racing.
“With Hyper being a few miles from BAPS, there will be a synergy between our businesses,” Gobrecht said. “We are committed to run Friday nights on a weekly basis, featuring the wingless and winged 600cc divisions, and the junior sprints. I am excited to be part of that world. I grew up racing micros.”
Of course, BAPS Motor Speedway looks to raise racers for its own classes from McGrewBid Motoplex. Running two tracks on one site, however, also makes business sense.
“Having two nights of racing mitigates fixed costs,” said Gobrecht. “Running a racing facility is a tough business, and having two tracks using the same resources will ensure a great future for both.”
Of the 100-plus wingless 600cc sprints, Connor Gross came up on top as the first winner in that class at the track.
“It is an extremely important addition to the Pennsylvania micro scene,” Gross, of Asbury, New Jersey, said. “I keep a spreadsheet of car counts — and Pennsylvania averages 150 to 175 cars in weekly competition. The sport is really healthy in this region. A new track adds to the excitement, helps to grow the sport, and makes every driver a better racer.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
